The Plight of the Special Librarian: Working With Limited Resources

You probably know that CAL has just created a new "association" within their organization called the Colorado Association of Special Libraries (CoASL).  Now there are 4 associations within CAL (Academic, School, Public and Special).   The main function of the associations are educational, and each one puts on a spring workshop each year and all are welcome to attend.

 

I am co-cordinating the programming for CoASL's first spring workshop along with Jean Heilig.  The date of the workshop is June 6th, 2008.  Title of the workshop is The Plight of the Special Librarian:  Working With Limited Resources.  It will be held at the Cardinal Stafford Library at St. John Vianney Seminary, 1300 South Steele St., which is centrally-located in Denver near I-25 and Colo. Blvd or University, near Mississippi.

 

Details and registration information will be sent to the local library listservs soon.  The planned program includes:

• A tour of Cardinal Stafford Library (morning)

• Panel:  Volunteers as an Untapped Resource.  Including speaker from Colorado Talking Book Library, discussing where to recruit volunteers, how to coordinate volunteers.  Other librarian TBD,  focusing on how to match volunteers with projects and retain them.  Includes practical discussion.

• Panel:  Utilizing and Mentoring Students.  Moderated by Robbie Marks, and speakers include Kelly Visnak from Emporia and Clara Sitter from DU talking about their programs, plus a student and mentor's experience. 

• Working with Contractors/Subcontractors, a talk by Marcy Phelps from Phelps Research.  What to do when you have limited resources and how to contract for professional services outside of your library.   Which  types of work or projects that they can do for you more cost-effectively, etc.  How contractors can provide a solution when you're strapped for resources, time, money, your staff is cut or absent, or you have multiple projects with pending deadlines.

• Outsourcing - Talking about the "O" word.  Jenny Garcia (University of Wyoming Libraries) and/or Addie Fletcher (Denver Medical Library) from CCML Advocacy Committee will present a practical guide for you to provide to administrators evaluating your library for outsourcing, and encouraging people to be proactive in evaluating their library's services and resources before the question of outsourcing arises.  How to show cost-effectiveness and survive the process.  Also examines what types of services can be outsourced to maintain the library during staff and budget cuts.

• Rosalind Dudden (National Jewish Center for Research & Immunology), author of the new book, Using Benchmarking, Needs Assessment, Quality Improvement, Outcome Measurement, and Library Standards: A How-to-do-it Manual,  will provide a practical presentation on library measurement tools, covering the necessity of measuring library services and which types of measurement tools can help with the task.  Includes evaluating services for improvement or efficiency, and helping with the decision-making process for reducing or outsourcing services. 

It's a full-day conference and goes from 8:15 until 5 pm and includes lunch.  It is only $50 (with the option for people to attend 1/2 day for $25).  Non-CAL members may pay slightly more.

 

Best regards,

Linda

Linda A. Van Wert

Librarian/Information Specialist

Gambro BCT

10811 W. Collins Ave.

Lakewood, CO   80215